Chromeleons
Entry 200109 – Chromeleons “I really thought for sure we finally found a rogue who was going to disarm traps ''without ''trying to fleece us of all the loot when he was done. You always call it early, how do you do it?” The questioned druid looked down giving a sly smile to the small glistening reptile in his hands, a fingertip run over its back - “Pet hates I suppose.” In the Cathedral Cities Star, stained glass is a trend that never died. Ornate patterned and depicting windows could be found everywhere in places both assumed and unexpected from churches, town square wells, statues and toilet blocks. Adding a gaudy sense of calm to most areas one would explore within city walls, the rainbow spreaders seemed to hold secrets that nobody expected. When Fragmenterra lifted the Two Unspoken Cities from their foundation in the Deserts of Light, while most did, not all entities that came to life this way marched on a warpath. Many windows hid secrets buried by artists inside the lead lining, the cleverest of these artists belonging to secret artisan guilds that would exchange techniques in deep appreciation for the craft. All manner of wonderful methods could be utilised in stained glasswork such as animation, colour shifting and auditory embellishments. One of the simplest and light hearted was the work of Gregorius Gechs who found great desire among powerful people for his work. An expert in creating lifelike depictions of small reptiles, he said that they were adept at warding off the presence of evil and ill-doers in one’s life. While this was a cute story, the selling point came from Gregorius’s strong conviction in declining taking work from anyone who he deemed was of corrupt heart. As soon as the circles of high society heard that there was a service that could not be bought, the rush was on as all lined up to see who this humble glassworker deemed as pure enough for his work. Once the cities became animate, all of the little lizards and skinks popped from their windows, rejecting the evil that was shifting the surroundings. Escaping in droves, these lizards, no thicker than an average pane of glass from belly to back and consistently so from head to tail, made a spectrum of a carpet, crawling out into the glittering sands in the opposite direction of the marauding city. These chromeleons are a rare sight now across the sands with fewer and fewer seen as the years find and break these beings with a fragile yet indefinite lifespan. Although they do not contain the inner workings that other animals do, their behaviour is remarkably similar as if the template for enchantment was directly ripped from a living creature. When observed, chromeleons can be noted shuffling through sand with their noses for reasons still in debate. Some scholars argue that the creature is simply doing actions of its design while others feel that it is absorbing silicates from the sand to repair itself. The strangest utility of a chromeleon is that it allows anyone who possesses one to perform a pseudo-detection of good and evil. As the great novelty of looking through stained glass is seeing the world in another shade, it is understandable that some have caught chromeleons and done this same thing. Holding the magical creature up by it tail to observe surroundings, one grave robber noticed that when held it between himself and his college, his friend did not turn the vivid shade of pink that the rest of the dunes did, but instead appeared as a pitch-black silhouette. Spinning around, the captor held the poor soul up between himself and a local priest who was leading them to an ancient grave site under duress. The priest completely disappeared from sight when viewed through the transparent pink animal.